Swedish trail runner Emilia Brangefalt has died by suicide. She was just 21 years old. The accomplished long-distance runner won a bronze medal in the 40km race at the 2022 Trail World Championships in Chiang Mai. This year, she achieved a fifth-place finish in a world championship race in Innsbruck.
However, Brangefalt had to take a prolonged hiatus from the sport after being diagnosed with an exceptionally high heart rate. In a post shared to her Instagram account on November 4, Brangefalt openly discussed the physical and mental challenges she was facing after being compelled to take a break from the sport. She likely went into depression due to this.
Gone too Soon
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“Just taking a walk is painful right now,” Brangefalt wrote. “Have been to the hospital and visit the medical over 20 times but every single blood test/ ekg/ cycle test is good. Still my body is super stressed although I have given it so much love the past months.”
“Maybe it was to much for a 21 year old girl to run Transvulcania 48k and WMTRC 45k with less then one month in between. I am super sad because running and training means so much,” the athlete added.
“But now, just living a normal life is difficult. I have spent more hours in bed than on my feet this past month. Maybe one day I will be back. Or I won’t. I hope my body can recover from this.”
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On Wednesday evening, the Swedish Athletics Federation officially confirmed that Brangefalt had taken her own life earlier this month.
“During her last months, Emilia felt very bad, both physically and mentally. She had good support from those closest to her, but on November 13, she ended her life,” a statement from the Swedish Athletics Federation read.
Tributes Pour In
The statement also contained remarks from Kasja Bergqvist, the captain of the Swedish Athletics Federation (SAF), who said that Emilia Brangefalt’s death was “so deeply tragic” that she struggled to find words to convey the sorrow.
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“I didn’t know Emilia personally but have understood that she was a very nice person, a forward-thinking, lovely, talented girl with her whole life ahead of her,” she said.
Brangefalt’s running association, Vasteras FK, also released a statement on its website expressing that they are all “in mourning” over her sudden death.
The club plans to commemorate Brangefalt’s life at their annual gala on Friday.
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In a tribute to his sister on Instagram, Brangefalt’s brother, Adam, shared that she sought psychiatric support on November 12 but was unable to receive treatment due to a “lack of staff.”
Adam paid tribute to his sister’s athletic prowess and passion, writing, “Your love for your sport and being able to move, was indescribable. A love for sports that we have always shared. All the hundreds of kilometers we skied, all the jumps we made and all the nice memories we created through movement.
“But love is difficult. When your love for what you loved most painfully rips from you and your body. You couldn’t take it anymore.”
